Gary Napper, who previously served as design director at Rare, has detailed similarities between the upcoming dinosaur survival game The Lost Wild and Microsoft's unreleased nature game Everwild. Napper, who has worked on both projects, noted that a key shared element is the ambition to create creatures that behave in realistic and believable ways, possessing their own drives and purposes.

Napper explained that this design philosophy makes The Lost Wild a more complex challenge than his previous work on Creative Assembly's Alien: Isolation. In Alien: Isolation, the Xenomorph's primary objective was singular: kill the player. This provided a simpler design framework, as there was less need to imbue the creature with nuanced behaviors or a complex agenda beyond immediate threat. "There was no great need to make it feel believable or consistent up close," Napper stated.

In contrast, both The Lost Wild and Everwild aim to present creatures that feel alive and responsive to their environment, Napper suggested. While Everwild, as seen in its trailers, depicted more conventionally friendly creatures within a serene setting, the underlying goal of fostering a respectful coexistence with non-human animals appears to be a shared aspiration. "I feel there is an argument to say that The Lost Wild is actually closer to Everwild in this way," Napper commented, "because we are trying to depict fantastic, incredible, yet grounded and believable creatures in a way that shows intelligence and character but also results in a compelling gameplay experience."

Napper joined The Lost Wild developers Great Ape after the project was already underway, but his experience with Alien: Isolation and Everwild has informed his perspective. He highlighted the mantra "Animals, not monsters" as central to The Lost Wild's design. The intention is for players to experience a sense of awe and respect when interacting with the dinosaurs, potentially leading to emotional conflict if they choose to avoid or spare the creatures rather than confront them. "I think if some of our players feel the want to avoid our dinosaurs and not kill them, but let them be free, then we will have succeeded in our goal of presenting them as believable animals," Napper said.

The Lost Wild is slated for release in 2027 and will be available on Steam.